As legend has it, a group of artists was trying to outdo each other in the sophistication of their artistic compositions—until the well-known German artist Albrecht Durer drew a freehand circle so perfect it could have been done with compass and emerged the winner. 

In Acts 14, there’s a true story about a group of Christians who forever will be associated with the making of a circle—the disciples at Lystra:

“Some Jews came from Antioch and Iconium, and when they won over the crowds, they stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city, thinking he was dead. After the disciples gathered around him, he got up and went into the town” (vv. 19-20a, emphasis added).

“Gathered around” in verse 20 translates a Greek word that means “to encircle, to surround.” The word is usually used with hostile intent:
• “The Jews surrounded him [Jesus]” (John 10:24).
• “When you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies …” (Luke 21:20).
• “…the walls of Jericho fell down after being marched around by the Israelites for seven days” (Heb 11:30).

The picture in Acts 14:20 is of a group of new believers surrounding the apostle Paul. We might wonder, for what purpose did they form a circle around him? To pray for him? To protect him from further abuse? To grieve for him? Since the Jews supposed Paul was dead, perhaps the believers of Lystra made that same assumption. No doubt, they encircled Paul with the intent of doing whatever they could for him.

What would it look like if, in our churches, we formed circles around our hurt and wounded? What if our Sunday School classes and small groups existed not only for study and coffee and doughnuts but for forming circles around one another? Not literally but metaphorically. Here are three ways:

The circle of presence

The importance of the ministry of presence can’t be overstated—simply being there for one another. 

The circle of provision

People who do life in circles can be overheard saying things like, “What do you need?” “What can we bring you?” “What can we do for you?” “What kind of toppings do you like on your pizza?”

The circle of prayer

Paul understood that he needed people praying for him (Eph. 6:19). Also, his prayers for fellow believers are a model for us: “I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened so that you may know what is the hope of his calling, what is the wealth of his glorious inheritance in the saints” (Eph 1:18). That’s a prayer that fellow believers would be able to see what they already possess in Christ. What if we prayed for one another like that?

Doing life and ministry together is largely about forming circles around one another. That’s fairly simple.